Winners of the Riksdag essay competition 2024

Two winners, Martin Lindqvist and Jeanette Rian, have been selected in the Riksdag's essay competition 2024. The winning essays are about publicly versus privately run welfare in the case of Televerket/Telia, by Martin Lindqvist, and about how representation changed in the Riksdag during the COVID-19 pandemic, by Jeanette Rian.

The Riksdag essay competition was established to promote knowledge and research about the Riksdag, and to highlight the importance of research and science. The competition is held every year and is open to students at bachelor or master's level who have written an essay that is clearly related to the Riksdag.

“This year's winners contribute in a commendable way to knowledge about the work of the Riksdag and the democratic process. The prize winners have studied central and relevant issues which contribute to a greater understanding of politics”, says the Speaker Andreas Norlén.

The contributions have been assessed by a prize committee consisting, among others, of the Speaker and the three Deputy Speakers. Following a recommendation from the committee, the winners were announced by Secretary-General of the Riksdag Ingvar Mattson. Both winners will receive a diploma and a gift. An award ceremony and seminar will be held to highlight the essays in the Riksdag during the spring of 2025.

From Televerket to Telia – on publicly versus privately run welfare

Martin Lindqvist, Department of History at Stockholm University, has written the essay “Tack för det Televerket!” (Thanks a bunch, Televerket!). An analysis of the Riksdag debates between 1993 and 2001 leading up to Telia's introduction on the stock market”. 

From the prize committee's citation: The essay highlights the central issue in politics of publicly versus privately run welfare, by examining the transition of the former state-owned telecommunications company Televerket to a private company. The author demonstrates impressive analytical, theoretical and pedagogical skills in his analysis of the political debate, inter alia, in the Chamber.

The Riksdag during the COVID-19 pandemic – about how representation changes during a crisis

Jeanette Rian, Department of Political Science at Uppsala University, has written the essay “Descriptive representation during a crisis”.

From the prize committee's citation: The essay raises an interesting question with great relevance for representative democracy and the Riksdag, that is, how representation changes in national parliaments during a crisis. Both the choice and the implementation of the multi-method approach, including quantitative and qualitative methods is commendable.

About the essay competition

Essay competition for students

Further information

• Thomas Larue, Head of the Evaluation and Research Secretariat, email: 
  thomas.larue@riksdagen.se, telephone: +46 (0)8 786 66 67
• Pernilla Eldblom, Press Secretary to the Speaker, email: pernilla.eldblom@riksdagen.se, telephone: +46 (0)8 786 59 14